AnnaDuck22

In the Brooder
Sep 15, 2017
15
18
41
For the past week I have had two new ducklings. I am new at this and getting the ducks was very sudden. They have been good and I have not had any cause for concern, until today. I have been feeding them my own duck food because nowhere sold any duckling starter crumbs. So I found a recipe online, I've been feeding them:
Sunflower seeds
Linseeds
Oats
Dried fruit
Almonds
Pepitas
Which I made sure all have niacin in them. This was only temporary until I could get my hands on some proper duck food. Everything was blended and all was well. So I could only find chick starter crumbs and could not see medicated anywhere on the packaging. I didn't feed it to them until I was completely sure. I asked other duck owners and they said it should be fine so I gave them some last night along with what I've been feeding them and some new stuff:
Barley
Wheatgerm
Sesame seeds
Lentils

The next day (today) I went to check on them like I have everyday, gave them new water, new food and a little swim but one of them is being really tame (not it's usual character) and the other keeps having almost seizure like spasms. I'm really worried because I love them so much. I have ordered niacin to boost them up a bit so I hope that helps but I was wondering if anyone has idea if the chick feed is what caused this? Please let me know.
 
Not likely the feed, itself. How long are you leaving the feed out? I ask because mold grows in wet duck feed fairly rapidly and is seriously dangerous to ducks. Are they in an outdoor area where they could've gotten ahold of something toxic and/or rotten? Niacin deficiency generally shows up as lameness in the legs and general leg issues...like shaky legs, not wanting to walk or stand a ton, etc. That's not what you're describing, though supplementing niacin is super important to avoid these leg issues so definitely proceed with that. To give them an immune boost, putting vitamins and electrolytes in their water is important. You can buy them at Tractor Supply Company, feed stores, and certainly online. Nutridrench is good, I use Duravet livestock vitamins & electrolytes. A scant 1/4 tsp per gallon of water, must be changed out every 24 hrs. Keep us posted as the more info you can give the more targeted intervention we can provide.
 
I change their food once or twice a day, they are inside so they wouldn't have eaten anything they shouldn't have. I will definitely give them extra niacin when it arrives. Thank you so much I'll definitely get some vitamins for their water today. I'll keep posting about how they're going :) thank you for the help!
 

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